Dentists warn that a generation of teenage boys is damaging their teeth by following ‘looksmaxxing’ advice on TikTok.
With some recommending mewing, and others ‘bone smashing’, young men are risking serious oral health issues – from jaw damage, to tooth loss, and lifelong nerve injuries.
As reported by The Probe, Dr Bhavika Parekh, General Dental Surgeon at Smile n Shine in Newbury, has spoken out about the dental consequences of looksmaxxing. She explains that “there is no clinical evidence that any of these techniques change the structure of an adult face, but there is very clear evidence that applying sustained, unnatural pressure to the jaw joint causes damage and that damage can be very difficult to reverse.”
Her warning comes amid growing alarm about the pressure young men are facing, and putting others under, online. The viral app Omoggle, which pits men off against each other in live AI-rated face-offs, is now facing calls from child welfare campaigners and even politicians, to be banned. Last month, the Centre for Young Lives launched a formal investigation into the effect that looksmaxxing is having on boys’ mental health.
Mewing
Mewing is one of the trend’s most popular techniques and involves pressing the tongue flat against the roof of the mouth in the belief that it will reshape the jawline. Videos promoting it have gained billions of views. Yet, what most don’t realise is that Dr Mike Mew, the orthodontist the technique is named after, was actually erased from the General Dental Council (GDC) register when they found that his treatment recommendations were inappropriate and misleading, posing a risk to patient safety.
Bone smashing
Sitting at the more extreme end is bone smashing. Here, young men repeatedly strike their own jaw and cheekbones with hammers or other blunt objects, convinced the trauma will stimulate bone remodelling and sharpen their features. Doctors issued specific warnings about it earlier this year. The documented injuries are incredibly serious: fractured jaws that permanently alter the bite and need surgical correction, knocked-out teeth, lasting TMJ damage, and nerve injuries that leave permanent numbness across the lower face and teeth.
“A fractured jaw is a surgical emergency,” says Dr Parekh. “The effects on how your teeth meet and how your jaw functions can last a lifetime. This is not damage you walk off.”
For anyone wanting to improve their smile or jawline safely, Dr Parekh points to orthodontic treatment, the only clinically proven way to alter dental alignment and facial symmetry, alongside professional aesthetic dentistry such as teeth whitening and composite bonding.
“The jaw joint is one of the most complex joints in the body,” she says. “Orthodontists spend years learning how to move teeth safely, millimetre by millimetre. The idea that blunt force trauma or tongue posture can do that work simply isn’t supported by anything we know about how the face develops.”
She advises anyone experiencing jaw pain, clicking or changes in their bite to seek a dental assessment early, as TMJ dysfunction is far easier to treat before it becomes chronic.
>Since you’re here, why not read about the oral health benefits of keeping a food diary?
Main image credit: Unsplash
